


New Year's Kiss

by ratchetzelda



Series: The Golden Dragon [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 22:04:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13222155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ratchetzelda/pseuds/ratchetzelda
Summary: Part of The Golden Dragon series. The Mills household spend New Year's Eve with the Charmings, and Maleficent learns about another tradition.





	New Year's Kiss

Regina said they would take the Christmas decorations down after the New Year. Maleficent kept thinking of the _damned_ dragon bauble. She didn’t want to put it away. She didn’t _not_ want to think about Lily.

 

Of course she knew that putting it away wouldn’t mean they were ignoring the fact their daughter was out there. Regina wouldn’t have meant her words that way, and these were _all_ new traditions that Maleficent just didn’t have a handle on yet.

 

It was just — although Christmas had been so _magical_ , it was empty without Lily there. At least for Mal anyway.

 

Tonight was New Year’s Eve. Something finally familiar to Maleficent.

 

In their old realm she had spent hundreds of them alone, but this time she wouldn’t be. That almost _excited_ her, more than Christmas, more than hot cocoa with Henry. This was hope for her. _Real_ hope.

 

Her love had invited the Charmings round to see the year in, Emma and her pirate too. Apparently the only reason half the town wasn’t invited was because this was Maleficent’s first New Year’s Eve here, and Regina said she wanted it to be _special_.

 

At least that’s what Henry had told her in secret.

 

Snow, David, Henry, and Emma were all in the living room, laughing at Killian’s expense. They were all caught up in a game of charades, and so far, Team Snow seemed to be winning. The pirate  was desperate to win Team Swan some points, but his impression looked something like a dying squid? Team Dragon  had sat this one out. Something about all the laughter got a little too much for Mal.

 

She excused herself and stepped outside for some fresh air. Midnight loomed.

 

“Is everything ok my love?”

 

Of course Regina followed her. She could be good like that. She sometimes sensed a shift in her mood before Mal herself did, a talent she thought was only reserved for dragons, but for a human Regina was _superb_ at this kind of thing.

 

“Yes,” Mal whispered, hugging herself from the biting air.

 

“Don’t lie dear — I know you by now.”

 

Maleficent turned to look at her and rolled her eyes. Yet again Regina was right.

 

“Fine, if you must know — I-I feel, half empty.”

 

Regina raised an eyebrow at her statement,

“Only half?”

 

That earned another sigh from the dragon. Even for a dragon, for one who was always so warm, tonight was so cold — even inside the house.

 

“Only half,” she affirmed in a grumble.

 

Regina stepped behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist.

 

“I wish she was here too,” she whispered, “But — I promise, like I said before, we _will_ -“

 

Mal turned around in her embrace, cutting her off, she leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her mouth.

 

“I know,” she whispered. “I know. We will find her. We’ll bring her home. We’ll be a family — I have every faith in you Regina.”

 

“Then, come back inside? Enjoy the night? It’s not like there’s long left until midnight.”

 

“Do I have to play the silly game still?” She finally smiled when she spoke.

 

Regina nodded.

 

“Aren’t there any other traditions we could do?”

 

“Well, that’s not really a _tradition_ — more of a, let’s laugh at Snow thing.”

 

Maleficent raised an eyebrow at that, her hand gently moved some of Regina’s hair from her face.

 

“So you mean to tell you, you’ve had me flailing around for no good reason?”

 

Her love bit her lip, in that _playful_ way — it always reminded her of when they first met.

 

“ _Maybe_.”

 

That earned Regina a dig in the side. Before long they were both laughing again. But when the laughter faded, and the seriousness began to set in again, Maleficent kissed her. This time more meaningful. More loving. Needing to show Regina just how much she meant to her.

 

Her fingers threaded through her hair.

 

They only pulled apart to breathe.

 

“Can I keep the dragon?” Mal asked — breathless and desperate.

 

Regina frowned, only because she had been unsure of what she meant at first. Eventually the penny dropped.

 

“Of _course_ my love, if it makes you feel any better — of course.”

 

Maleficent tried her hardest not to cry, not to fill up with tears, but she couldn’t help it. This time, at least they were happy tears — relieved tears.

 

Regina moved up to kiss her again, just as the front door opened — it was Emma.

 

“You know if you two wanted a room, you could have just said,” she joked.

 

“No — we just needed some air,” Regina was the one to respond. She wrapped a protective arm around Mal’s waist, pulling her close.

 

Emma laughed,

“Well it’s almost midnight. Mom won the game.”

 

“Well there’s a surprise,” Regina grumbled with mirth.

 

“Come on you two — you can kiss all you want at midnight.”

 

Maleficent watched her go back inside. Her love made a move to follow, but she frowned.

 

“Wait — what does she mean by that?”

 

Confusion etched on her love’s face, before yet again she realised just what Maleficent had meant.

 

“Oh — that is actually a tradition.”

 

“Mom! Hurry up it’s nearly time!” Henry was the one to call them inside now.

“Kissing?” Maleficent asked, following her love’s lead back into the house.

 

“Yes.”

 

 _God_ — Regina seemed so happy.

 

“How — _interesting_ ,” the dragon wrapped her arms around her again. Even if it was nearly midnight. Even if the others were in the living room — she had all she needed right here in her arms.

 

“Can I kiss you now? Even though it’s not yet midnight?”

 

“You can kiss me whenever you like.”

 

Maleficent needed no further invite. Her lips found Regina’s again.

 

Whatever the year, whatever the lifetime, Maleficent’s heart belonged to this woman. 

 

And their golden dragon was a symbol of that — she’d _never_ give up hope, no matter what.


End file.
